Man with terrorist plans gets arrested after bombing his parents’ house
A Sun Valley native currently under investigation was arrested in Oxnard December 13th by the California Highway Patrol after throwing an incendiary device through his parents’ Castaic home. 26-year-old Ahmad Smadi is in custody after being wanted by the LASD on charges of felony use of a destructive device and making terrorist threats.
Ahmed Smadi had big plans, but did little damage before he was arrested
According to an LASD press release, at 6:20 AM on December 13th, Smadi threw a lit Molotov cocktail through his parents’ window at their home on the 30500 block of Corsica Place in Castaic. When authorities arrived on the scene, they discovered that the explosive had failed and that none of the residents were harmed or injured.
Investigators began to reach out to the family, roommates, and friends spread across Sun Valley, Burbank, and Glendale that Smadi had threatened previously. Before his arrest, Smadi was spotted at 6:00 PM driving an impounded 1998 Honda Accord northbound on the 101 Freeway just south of Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard. Shortly thereafter, the LASD posted a press release announcing Smadi’s capture by the CHP in Oxnard.
Besides the charges he faces from the LASD, Smadi is also being investigated on federal charges from the FBI. According to Smadi’s Facebook page, this is not the first encounter that Smadi has had with federal authorities. In March of 2011, Smadi posted a status update claiming that the Secret Service had visited him.
Just a week before his arrest, Smadi again referenced the visit from federal authorities from the year prior, claiming that he had intended to make controversial and threatening statements to attract government attention to his political views. He further explained that he had been sending subliminal messages to the “C.I.A./Secret Service/F.B.I/” through his posts to friends and family and that those same agents “are now working with me to restore our nation.” Smadi also claimed that the Secret Service had forced him into a psychiatric ward where they drugged and interrogated him.
Smadi's attack was on his parents' home in this Castaic neighborhood
While Smadi never specifically alluded to what comments he made to attract the attention of the Secret Service, the multiple death threats to top government officials made in the December 5th post and throughout his Facebook page might explain why he is under federal investigation.
In the update, Smadi makes multiple references to murdering and executing President Barack Obama. In one of the many comments made on his own status, Smadi states that he was born to slay Obama, whom he believed to be the Anti-Christ. In the same post, Smadi condoned the killings of former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as well as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Other government officials and politicians that Smadi targeted on his Facebook page for “executions” include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former Vice-President Dick Cheney.
The LASD did not immediately comment on the arrest.
Anyone with any information about the suspect should contact their local law enforcement agency. Anonymous tips may be called in to “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org
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SCV News: Man, 26, Suspected of Fire-Bombing Parents’ Castaic Home; FBI Involved
